Monthly Archives: July 2017

Art Nouveau Coloring Book

By: Pomegranate Communications Inc.

Rating: 5 of 5

The line drawings in this coloring book are based on artwork by various artists of the Art Nouveau (or New Art) period. This period of art was from 1890 to 1914 and was highly popular in North America and Europe. The artwork was from advertising posters and were large and brightly colored and very different from traditional artwork.

Included is a table of contents at the front of the coloring book which lists the name of the artists, the dates of their life, their citizenship, the name of the work and the date it was published. There are also full color thumbnails of the original artwork inside the front and back covers.
The designs are open and easy to color. There is a good level of detail but they have left a lot of open area to allow you to color and add your own shading and details.
This is what I experienced in coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper.
22 Art Nouveau derived designs based on famous artwork of the Art Nouveau period
Designs are printed on one side of the page
Paper is heavyweight, white, slightly rough to the touch and non-perforated
The designs are bound by two heavyweight staples which can be removed to release all of the page from the book without any loss of design.
Designs do not merge into the binding area. There are framing lines at the outer edges of each design with a caption below the bottom framing line.
Pages can be cut out if you wish without losing any design elements.
Book easily opens to a flat position for coloring.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper easily.
Water-based markers leave shadows and slight spots of color bleed through on the back of the page
If I use any style of marker, I also make sure to use a blotter under my working page. I like card stock but a couple of sheets of heavyweight paper works well, too.
Gel pens and India ink pens do not bleed through the page. Some gel pens require slightly more drying time than usual.
Colored pencils work well with the paper. It has a slight roughness to it that allows good pigment coverage from both oil and wax based pencils. I was able to layer the same and multiple colors well and could blend easily using a pencil style blending stick.

Creative Haven Celtic Mandalas Coloring Book (Creative Haven Coloring Books)

By: Cari Buziak

Rating: 4 of 5

I enjoy Celtic-inspired coloring books and was looking forward to receiving this one after pre-ordering it sight unseen. While it is a little more intricate than I had expected, I still enjoy coloring in it. The mandalas incorporate many Celtic emblems and symbols. Because of the intricate detail (small areas to color on most designs), it is not a book I would recommend to anyone with vision or fine motor issues.

The coloring book is the standard size for Creative Haven and the designs are circular. That makes for empty space both at the top and bottom of the design. If I decide to frame a finished project or mount it on a card for a gift, I’ll use a paper cutter to cleanly remove the empty space.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Celtic-inspired mandala designs in a circular format
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations with lots of empty space above and below the mandalas
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and show colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through when I apply more than one layer of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.
I suggest either removing pages from the book to color or using a blotter page under your working page. I like card stock as it keeps ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

Men’s Coloring Book: A Manly Mans Adult Coloring Book: Cyborg Women, Futuristic Battles, Women And Motorcycles (Adult Coloring Books) (Volume 4)

By: Nathaniel Wake

Rating: 5 of 5

This is a revised version of the Nathaniel Wake Men’s coloring book. From what I understand, the original version of this coloring book may have included illustrations which, unknowing to the publishers of Nathaniel Wake) were copyright infringing.

My review is also newly revised though the date may point to the original book. Any images I include in this review are from the newly revised book. I discarded my originals and contacted Amazon receive the purchase price back which I promptly invested in the new books. It may be a bit confusing as some of the earlier reviews will still reference other designs and/or show fully colored images from them. I do wish the publisher had made the original listing out of print and started fresh with a new page with new reviews to avoid this type of confusion.
This is a fun book that focuses on things enjoyed by men (but I like it, too! – which is a terrible reference to an old bar soap commercial.) The great outdoors is a theme in this book as are the wild west and sexy ladies popping up from time to time. The designs are detailed and many contain small and intricate areas to color. It is a book that both men and women can equally enjoy depending on their tastes.
A word about companies like Nathaniel Wake. This is a publishing company and not an artist. They contract artists from outside sources but present it under an umbrella name that infers a single artist. As such, the real artist or artists of any book with content and style may differ wildly from any others under the same Nathaniel Wake name.
This is what I found in this coloring book:
35 new Men’s themed designs are included with some fun samples from other books
Printed one side of the page
Paper is typical inexpensive quality by CreateSpace printing: white front with black back, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated. With the newly revised books, the publishers have chosen to use black on the back of the page to prevent bleed-though. It does not prevent it but it does mask it see more about this under tested media below.
The designs do not merge into the binding. None of the designs have frame so all edges are left open with unfinished elements
Glue Binding
CreateSpace Print Paper with tested Media.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly to blotter page though not noticeable on the back backing.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots to the blotter page.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows shadows cannot be seen on the back of the page as it is black. India ink can bleed through to the blotter page if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
As I mentioned earlier, the black on the page merely masks the bleed through. If you do not use a blotter with media that bleeds through, you run the risk of ruining the design pages below. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below. Also, remember to change the card stock from design to design so you don’t accidentally start pulling up an old color through the page of the new design.
Coloring Pencils work fairly well with this publisher’s paper provided you don’t press extremely hard while coloring. I find that I can layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a blending stick. This is true of both oil and wax based pencils. I have also found that hard lead pencils leave dents through the paper.

Creative Haven Autumn Scenes Coloring Book (Adult Coloring)

By: Teresa Goodridge

Rating: 5 of 5

This is the fourth book in a series of seasonal coloring books by Teresa Goodridge. For me, each of the books has been even better than the one before. As autumn is my favorite time of year (with changing colors of leaves, the last of vegetables being harvested and the holidays approaching.) While the colored samples are still pictures of the original watercolor artwork rather than colored samples of the actual designs in the book, I don’t have the issues with tiny details that I had in the first book in the series. I’m able to use all types of coloring medium with this book, which makes it a real pleasure to color in.

The designs are exactly what I would hope for in book about autumn. I really like that as I have had problems finding a good autumn coloring book up till now. The designs have lots of trees for coloring the change of leaf colors, pumpkins and other harvest items, Thanksgiving, Halloween and even a football scene. The designs are quite detailed and some few do contain intricate and small areas to color. There are less of the intricate portions in this book than in the prior ones.
I noticed that the feel of the paper is slightly smoother than some of the Creative Haven books I have received recently. I’ve noticed that the paper seems to change quite frequently on these books. Because of that, if you buy one of these books, it may be slightly smooth or slightly rough depending on when and where it was printed. Colored pencils still work well with the slightly smoother paper (see below.)
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing the paper with my coloring medium.
31 Autumn inspired Designs by Teresa Goodridge
The designs are printed one side of the page
Paper is the usual Creative Haven quality: white, medium weight, slightly smooth and has perforated pages.
Glue Binding but with perforated pages so removing a page is fairly simple.
The designs stop well before the perforations. Most, but not all, of the designs have a framing line at the outer edges. Some simply stop with no line and I wish that they had put the framing line around those as well.
Alcohol-based markers bleed through this paper
Water-based markers bleed through in spots and show colorful shadows on the back of the page
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows of color on the back of the page. India ink pens can bleed through when I apply more than one layer of ink.
Coloring pencils work well with this paper. I was able to get good pigment (color) lay down, layer the same color and multiple colors and to blend easily using a pencil style blender. I tested both oil and wax-based pencils with similar results. Hard lead pencils, like Verithins, leave dents on the back of the page.
I suggest either removing pages from the book to color or using a blotter page under your working page. I like card stock as it keeps ink from seeping through and damaging the pages below.

Fairy Magic – Whimsical Fantasy Coloring Book (Fantasy Colouring by Selina) (Volume 14)

By: Selina Fenech

Rating: 5 of 5

I own several of Selina Fenech’s coloring books and so I am very familiar with her elegant artwork. This is her second book which features fairies as the main subject. The designs are beautiful and include close-ups and full scenes. As always with Ms. Fenech’s work, the designs are fun with lots of imaginative scenes to inspire me.

The designs are detailed and I find them fairly easy to color. While some designs have small details, the designs are not generally intricate with tiny details that are hard to color. I like to use markers to put down a base color and then to use pencils to finish off the details.
I really appreciate that Ms. Fenech puts a framing line around each design. It gives me a natural stopping point and a more finished looking project. I also like getting two copies of each design so that I can experiments with different colorways.
This is what I experienced while coloring in this book and testing my coloring medium on the paper:
25 x 2 of each design Fairy inspired artwork by Selina Fenech
Printed one side of the page
Paper is white, thin, slightly rough and non-perforated
Designs do not merge into the binding and there is plenty of room to cut out pages if you choose to do so. Most designs have a framing line around the outer edge
Glue Binding
Alcohol-based markers bleed through the page quickly.
Water-based markers bleed through in spots.
Gel pens and India ink pens leave shadows on back of the page. India ink can bleed through if you apply heavily or multiple coats.
Coloring Pencils work well with this paper. I found that I could layers the same color for deeper pigment or multiple colors and I could blend easily using a pencils style blending stick. Both wax and oil based pencils worked well with the paper. Hard lead pencils can leave dents through the page.
I like to use a blotter when working in the book. I use a page of card stock or several sheets of heavyweight paper under my working page. It keeps seeping ink and marring dents from ruining the pages below.